The Hunting Party
by Elarix
Summary: Phoenix trades his comfortable life as a college student for that of a criminal when he joins the Hunting Party, a team of hitmen and lawless bounty hunters. Through a number of missions, he will learn the true, darker side of a criminal's life, while also uncovering the hidden pasts of the Hunting Party's members. Who were they before they fell so low? I can only promise guns.
1. The Summoning Part 1: Hostage

**Chapter 1: The Summoning**

**Part 1: Hostage**

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><p><strong> AN: A lot of people will notice right off the bat that the characters are OOC, especially Krystal. If so; good, you're smart. However, there are reasons why the characters' personalities are different, reasons that I won't explain... yet. Finding out why the characters have changed so much will be part of the driving force to keep reading, and I can promise, it will be answered satisfactorily. Some of you might even get it right away if you're smart enough. Just had to get that out before everyone started complaining.**

** Finally, rated T for graphic violence and mild language.**

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><p>She always loved this part.<p>

With the ringing of metal and the flapping of leather, the cerulean vixen clasped a gun belt around her waist and cinched it tight. Her amphibious partner tossed two silver guns across the hangar towards her, which she effortlessly caught. For show, she spun the pistols around her fingers until they whirred and reflected the blinding blue light of the outside world off their barrels. Finally, she stopped their spinning and slapped them down into their holsters. Another feeling she enjoyed, the feeling of a gun sliding into its holster, like a knife or a sword sliding into its sheath. But even greater was the feeling of drawing her weapons.

As she pulled a pair of black, fingerless gloves over her paws, her other counter-part, a tall avian, slid an energy cartridge into his prized laser gun. The hangar room they occupied was mostly shrouded in shadows except for the glow of the sky seeping in through the opened gates, causing sharp accents of light to shine off of a myriad of crates filled to the brim with guns, knives, ammunition, and other assortments of weapons. But most striking of all was the reflection in the eyes of her teammate in the relative dark. Noticing her gaze, her partner asked, "What?"

"Nothing," she replied in voice too mature for her age, "I just like that look in your eyes."

The falcon studied her for a moment. "I don't like that look in yours."

"What, because I'm having too much fun?" She smiled slyly. "You should learn to enjoy your line of work, I always say."

"Hey, last time I check," the amphibian interrupted, "You all know the plan?"

The avian grunted and slid a parachute over his shoulders. "Krystal will create a diversion while I go after the professor. Simple as that."

"Just how big is this "diversion" you want? Can I blow crap up?" the Cerinian answered with a lustful voice.

"Sure. Whatever you need to do to get everyone's attention. Oh, and... try not to kill anyone."

"Aw, why not?" She pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

"Because a; you don't have to, and b; it's not nice."

"But that's no fair! Why do _you_ get to kill the professor?"

"Because you can't pull off stealth missions. You weren't made for it."

"Fine," she huffed as she pulled on her own parachute and stepped over to the open hangar doors, the whistling wind catching her fur and giving it the appearance of flickering blue fire.

"And one more question," the frog spoke up.

"Shoot."

"It would be a lot safer and easier to infiltrate the campus from the ground. Why the parachuting thing?"

"Because... why not?" With that, she took a running start and leapt out of the hangar and into the open air.

* * *

><p>Phoenix's eyes flew open right before he hit the ground.<p>

The golden-furred vulpine desperately thrashed about for a moment before his hands settled back down upon his chair's armrests. Once he remembered where he was, his pulse subsided and he was able to calm down. Looking to his right, he spotted a tabby-cat classmate shaking with silent laughter at his little joke; he had knocked Phoenix's elbow out from under his head and jolted him out of his sleep.

Glaring at his friend, Phoenix bent down to pick up his notepad and pen, which had slipped off of his lap and onto the floor from his sudden start. Once he was all settled again, the faint, droning voice of his economics professor tickled his ears. He and the rest of the class were seated in a large auditorium, looking down onto the center stage. Through drooping eyes, he squinted at the holographic board upon which the billy goat had drawn a complicated bow-tie graph, but was unable to make any sense of it.

_Well. That__'s__ it for this lecture, _he thought. Phoenix's problem with any speaker was that he either already knew everything about the subject, he completely disagreed with everything the speaker said, he had slept through half of the lecture by the time he started paying attention to it, or the topic was economics, which usually covered all three.

Figuring he had awoken too late, he fell into his favorite pastime while ignoring lectures; making up stories and situations. Normally he would imagine what he would do if, say... a zombie apocalypse struck in the middle of English, or if a fire broke out during a chemistry lab, or if a serial killer happened to assault their campus.

_Yessir, _Phoenix thought to himself, _Anything would be better than this. Why, I wouldn't mind it if a murderer kicked through that door right now and – _

Phoenix's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it.

Without warning, the auditorium door burst inwards off its hinges, and in jumped a female vulpine grinning from ear to ear. She was dressed in a sleeveless leather jacket opened to expose a white tank top and bare midriff. Her fur was perhaps her most striking feature; it was completely blue, unlike any fox Phoenix had seen before. But his eyes were soon drawn elsewhere. Clasped around the vixen's waist was a brown gun belt with two holsters, but they were both empty; the gleaming silver weapons were already in her outstretched hands.

The entire student body of the auditorium began to panic; students rose to their feet, girls cried out, and the professor stumbled backwards off the stage in fear. The chaos would have continued, but the blue vixen raised one of her pistols above her head and let loose a bullet to get everyone's attention.

"Quiet down, pansies!" She ordered, then fired off another shot. "Everyone just sit down, or I start shooting!" She glared with piercing emerald eyes around the room until they alighted upon a security camera mounted on the stage wall. After giving it the finger, she spun her guns around in both hands and loaded it full of bullets, which Phoenix labeled as a bit excessive.

By that time, everyone was covering their heads and cowering behind the row of seats in front of them, including Phoenix.

"I've got nothing against you all, personally, but you won't mind it if I shoot the place up a bit, will you? And, if a stray bullet should happen to hit a few of you small fries... well... it can't be helped. Adios."

Screams broke out once again as the psycho began firing carelessly into the crowd, sending pieces of wood and scraps of paper flying everywhere. A student even cried out when her arm was grazed by a stray bullet.

In the midst of the gunshots and screaming, all Phoenix could do was crouch behind the seat in front of him and clench his eyes shut as his mind raced with thoughts. _Isn't this what you've always __wanted__? __What happened to all of the heroic things you were planning __to do__? You can't just cower down here and play dead like a 'possum! Do something!_

_ Well, _he finally told himself, _A__t least I won't have to worry about today's economic__s'__assignment__. _Shakily, he stood up above the other students, then, with more and more confidence, he stepped towards the center aisle and down towards the stage.

His actions did not go unnoticed. The gunman soon laid eyes on him and barked, "Hey! The hell do you think you're doing, lion-heart – " She aimed her gun directly at his head, and Phoenix found himself staring up the barrel of a silver semi-automatic pistol at the killer's narrow eyes. The woman faltered for a moment, however, when she saw him. She stuttered for a moment. "Well, what are you looking at?"

Phoenix swallowed.

"Trying to be the hero, huh? Got some chicks you wanna impress?"

She fired a bullet so close to his head that he felt the wind rush by him in its wake. Truthfully, he had never been so frightened in all of his life; his legs were nearly shaking, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and his heart beat like a kick drum, but he couldn't back down now. Not in front of his friends. Not in front of his classmates.

Not in front of those piercing green eyes.

The vixen continued to stare down at him for another minute, until she drew her gun up to her mouth and blew away the trail of smoke rising from its barrel, obviously for show. "Well well well, guess you're not so easy to scare after all."

"I... I'm crapping my pants right now."

"At least you're amusing. You got something to say, spit it out, or next time... I won't miss."

Phoenix gulped again. He had planned this out. He knew what to do.

He began with a faltering voice. "L-look, I don't know what your deal is, if you just enjoy shooting people, or if you came here to make some sort of statement... but you need a way out."

The fox slapped one of her guns back into its holster, unclipped an explosive pack from her belt, and tossed it into the air with her free hand. "Check."

"You need more than an exit. You need insurance, something to keep the bullets away from you."

"Get to the point already," she growled impatiently through clenched teeth.

"You need a hostage. I-I'll be that hostage. Just don't shoot... don't shoot anymore people."

The vixen studied him for another moment, then chuckled. "You've sure got guts. I just might take you up on that off – "

She was interrupted when an armed police force burst through the doorway she herself had entered, as well as an exit on the opposite side of the stage, effectively surrounding her. "Damn," she cursed as she glanced at her wristwatch.

"FREEZE!" one of the officers ordered, "We have you surrounded!"

"Yeah, no." The blue-furred fox dove into a crouching position behind the podium, drew her other gun, crossed her arms, and fired twice into the opposite groups of police. When they began to return fire, she grabbed onto the podium and nimbly flipped herself over it in a spectacular feat of acrobatics, landing herself at Phoenix's side.

"This better work, lion-heart," she whispered into his ear as she placed a gun to his head. "Drop your weapons... or this poor bastard gets something into that head of his for a change!"

The captain cursed and lowered his gun, gesturing for his force to do the same, at least for the moment. Taking the opportunity to act, she walked with Phoenix still at gunpoint back onto the stage and towards the back wall. She detached one of her explosives and let it slide down her leg until it came to rest at the base of the wall. Stepping away a safe distance and crouching behind the podium with Phoenix, she pressed a button on her watch.

Only five seconds later, the pack detonated and filled the auditorium with a deafening blast and a blinding light. Rushing out from behind the podium and jumping through the gaping hole left behind, she exclaimed, "Later, bitches!"

The police made to pursue, but a grenade flew through the wall and landed at their feet, releasing a thick cloud of smoke into the air. The campus security force fell to their knees, hacking and coughing uncontrollably, as their target escaped.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere on the campus, a feline professor was far from concerned about the shootings. He knew what was really going on.<p>

Running to his office as fast as he could, the leopard slid to a stop on the overly waxed floors and reached for the door handle.

It was unlocked.

Reaching into his lab-coat pocket, he slid out a small, plastic hand pistol able to pass through metal-detectors unnoticed. He cocked the gun, quietly turned the door handle, then flung the door open with a swift gesture. He stepped into his office, planted his legs, and stared down the barrel of his gun.

It was shaking.

As he expected, the room was occupied. The trespasser, a blue falcon, was leaning over the professor's desk, back turned.

"H-hands where I can see them!" The leopard demanded in a less-than-confident voice. "No s-s-sudden movements!"

The avian complied, slowly standing up and raising his wings into the air.

"All the shooting in the auditorium was just the diversion, wasn't it? You're really after the data on my laptop."

"Yes... and no," the avian replied in a cocky voice. "The shooting was a diversion to keep security busy. That way, they couldn't come to your aid in case you were able to alert them. However, those files are only half of what we came to collect, and I just finished downloading them."

The professor's gun faltered. "And the other half?"

The falcon produced a fake, halting laugh. "Ah ha ha haaa... you."

The leopard concluded the conversation had gone on long enough. Making up his mind, he aimed at the trespasser and pulled the trigger. But he had misjudged the situation; his enemy was the one on top. The avian quickly lowered one of his wings, revealing a small metal device he had hidden even with his hands up. Whirling around to face the professor, he activated the tool to produce a large, blue, hexagonal shield that rapidly expanded and reflected the bullet effortlessly.

In a fit of panic, the leopard fired three more shots, each of which were reflected by the avian's shield. Gasping, he stumbled backwards out the door and turned to run down the hall. The falcon drew a laser pistol from his belt and flew out the door in pursuit.

"The fastest creature on land meets the fastest creature in the air. Let's prove which is superior, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Phoenix slipped on the floor and fell to his knees, panting from exertion. The vixen didn't give him any time to relax, however, as she dealt him a swift quick to the behind and pulled him along by the back of his collar.<p>

"If you're gonna be my hostage, you better keep up."

"Yeah... wooh... sorry... I've always avoided... gym class... whenever I can."

As they raced down the evacuated hallway, the gunman let go of his shirt and simply trusted him to follow.

"You got a name, lion-heart?"

"Uh, yeah. Phoenix. And yours?"

She gave him a sideways glance, as if she were sizing him up to see if he was worthy.

"Krystal."

Phoenix smirked. "So... it's safe to assume we're already on a first name basis?"

"I don't have a last name. It's all I have."

"Doesn't fit."

Placing her gun to the back of his head, Krystal snarled, "You wanna see if you come back to life after I kill you, huh, is that it?"

Phoenix faltered. "Uh... no."

"Then shut the hell up. At least remember who the hostage – "

At that moment, they rounded a corner and came face to face with a security officer. Krystal swore and pushed Phoenix to the side; it was too late to use him as a shield now. The guard instinctively fired, but Krystal was ready for him. She threw herself down to the floor to escape the laser fire, swept her legs around to knock the guard off his feet, forced him onto the ground, and pressed her gun against his chest.

Sensing what Krystal was about to do, Phoenix desperately intervened. "Wait, stop! You don't have to – "

But it was too late. Krystal pulled the trigger and placed a bullet into his torso at point-blank range, sending a splash of crimson blood into the air. Phoenix fell to his knees beside the body, staring helplessly as the officer coughed and spluttered. "Why... why did you..."

Krystal turned and shot Phoenix a glare with her emerald eyes, dancing with fire. "Remember your place. I was just saying, you're the hostage, I'm the killer. Get used to seeing people die, you may have to see a lot more before I'm done with you. If you don't want to join him on the floor with your heart pouring out your chest, you better do as I say."

At first, Phoenix was horrified at the sight of the bleeding guard, but once he looked at Krystal's wrathful face, he knew what true fear really was. All he could do was stare at her, mouth flapping silently like a fish's.

"What's a matter, lion-heart?" Krystal cooed, slowly raising the gun to his head, "Having second thoughts about standing up for everyone and getting some action? We were actually having fun for a moment there."

Phoenix's eyes never once strayed from her face to the gun. "No, I'll... keep going. Just... give me some time – "

"Right, well, I don't have time." Standing, she nudged him with her combat boot. "Now get up. Get up!"

Get churning and pulse racing, Phoenix rose to his feet with shaking legs. Without looking back, Krystal resumed running down the hallway again, while Phoenix followed.

Raising a wrist comm to her face, she shouted, "Hey, Falco, how's it comin' with the prof?"

_"__Wait just a second..."_

The ensuing pause was followed by the sound of two laser bursts and the terrific scream of a dying mammal.

_"Yeah, all done on my end. __And yours?"_

"Got myself a hostage. Say hi to Falco, Phoenix."

Phoenix spoke with a trembling voice. "Uh... hi?"

_"__Hey, nice meeting you. Too bad you probably won't be alive much longer."_

"Oh, God," Phoenix gasped.

_"And sorry... just in case, you know, you happened to know the professor I just killed. I think he t__aught__ chemistry. O__ops__, hold on. __Geez, let go of my leg...__" _his voice trailed off as the laser pistol went off once more in the background, accompanied by a faint moan. _"Ahem, uh, __sorry... __again__."_

"That was Prof. Aronnax..."

"Falco, where did Slip send the ships?"

_"__Some open field to the east of the main grounds. I think it borders a lake as well. You'll have to find a car, it's too far to run."_

"I'll find my way there, somehow. Thanks."

As Krystal switched off her radio, Phoenix spoke up. "Did he mean the heath?"

"Of course, you _would_ know the place." She gestured with her gun. "Come on, take me there."

"Alright, alright, c-careful where you point that!"

* * *

><p>Phoenix lead the rest of the way through the building interior, much to Krystal's annoyance, who had to slow her pace to stay behind him.<p>

Phoenix pointed down the hallway, nearly out of breath. "Door's right there... my car isn't anywhere around here, so I have no idea how we're going to drive – "

Just when it looked like they were going to escape without anymore run-ins, a group of security officers stepped out of a room between them and the door, guns readied and aimed at Krystal.

"Damn," Krystal muttered as she once again locked Phoenix's arms behind him and placed a gun to his head. She should have kept him in that position the whole time. "Don't shoot, or I'll kill him!"

This time, they were not so easily dissuaded. Two of the guards in front fired, missing the pair by inches.

Pulling back with Phoenix still in tow, Krystal whispered into his ear, "Sorry, kid. Guess this is the end for you."

Phoenix began to panic, and his mind raced to figure a way out of being killed. "Wait, look, please! There's another way! Shoot me in the leg!"

At first Krystal was taken aback. "What, really?"

"Let them know you mean business! And, just a flesh wound, if you don't mind."

Krystal purred next to his ear. "Well, you're more daring than I thought, lion-heart." Then, placing her gun against his leg, she pulled the trigger.

"AAAAAHH!" Phoenix screamed, instinctively bending over and clutching his leg as blood flowed through his fingers. If he had to describe the pain, Phoenix would say it felt like having his leg completely blown off, sewed back on, and dipped in lava.

"Put your weapons down, or he gets it in the head next time!" Krystal said, dragging Phoenix forwards. "I ain't screwin' around!"

The security force shot each other glances, then lowered their weapons.

"Now back away from the door, turn around, and start walking down the hallway!"

The guards uneasily obeyed, sluggishly moving back down the hallway they had come from.

"Faster!" Krystal growled, firing a bullet over their heads.

They quickly complied, and broke into a complete sprint down the empty hallway. As they were leaving, Krystal draped Phoenix's arm across her shoulder and helped him towards the door.

"Ow... goddamnit! Why'd you have to shoot so close to the bone!"

"Hey, I'm the one holding the gun here! You're just the hostage!" Krystal leaned with Phoenix against the bar that opened to door, and pushed it open. "Be thankful I didn't blow your face off instead. Besides, it only feels like I hit the bone. I only grazed you... I think. You were wearing long pants!"

"Alright, fine, we have to bandage it right away! I don't think I should be losing this much blood... we have to stop!"

"Sorry, lion-heart; we ain't stopping!"

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><p><strong> AN: One last thing you should know, I'm writing this story right after watching _Black Lagoon. _So, if you notice any similarities between the two, it's not a coincidence; _Black Lagoon _had a big part in inspiring this story. But I doubt most of you have seen the show, anyway (uncultured swine!)**


	2. The Summoning Part 2: Escape

**Ch. 2: The Summoning**

**Part 2: Escape**

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><p>"So... now that we're here, I just realized my car isn't parked out front; it's in the garage."<p>

"How far is that?" Krystal asked, shifting her supporting hold on Phoenix.

"Uh, like the other side of the building?"

"Well I ain't freakin' carrying your pathetic body all that way!" The angered gunman slid his arm off her shoulder and let him fall to the ground, unceremoniously. As Phoenix yelped in pain, she placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the parking lot before them.

"You could just run and leave me here, you know."

"Yeah, like you wish you could get out of this so easily, lion-heart. No, you're my key to finding the 'Wasteland', or whatever you college nerds call it."

"The Heath," Phoenix corrected. Tearing a large piece off the hem of his shirt, he began wrapping it around his bleeding leg, grimacing in the process. "Well, there's no way we can walk there in my condition."

"Nah, it's no problem, I'll just steal a hover-car."

"You'll what?" Phoenix asked in surprise.

"It's easy," she laughed as she booted him in the back once again. "Come on, hobble over and I'll show you."

Krystal rushed to the nearest hover-car, a shining gold Ferris model, and tried the door. Finding it locked, she slid off her leather vest, pressed it against the glass, and slammed her elbow into it. The glass shattered, activating the alarm which blared at an annoying pitch. Shaking off her jacket, she slipped it back on, reached inside, and unlocked the doors. Phoenix stumbled over to the car as best as he could and slipped into the passenger seat.

"Now, watch and learn."

Krystal activated the hover-car's pass code screen, which displayed a standard nine-number keyboard. "Most cars have a four digit code. The trick is to find the keys pressed the most, then enter them in the right sequence."

"Somehow, this doesn't seem to be your thing."

"You mean the slow, calculated way?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if it doesn't work, I can always blow open the dashboard and hot wire it. Now, here you can see the numbers 1, 4, 7, and 9 all have fingerprints on them. So, all you have to do is guess the right combination."

"But you don't have infinite tries, right?"

Krystal shrugged, then entered the numbers in numerical order. The touch screen went red for a second and beeped in a disheartening fashion. Fortunately, she got it on her second try. "See; piece of cake."

Krystal activated the engines and g-diffusers, which caused the car to rise into the air and fold in the supports that kept it off the ground.

"Alright, lion-heart. Which way?"

"Before I tell you, you have to promise me one thing."

"You are in no position for bargaining."

Phoenix continued, unabated. "Promise me you're not going to run over anyone. I have a feeling it's something you'd do."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Which way?"

"Take a left out of the parking lot."

"Or just go straight."

"Sure, if you want to go over the curb and grass."

Krystal stared at him, grinning wickedly.

"Fine. Why not?" Phoenix said with a sigh.

Pressing the pedal to the floor, the car jerked forwards and smoothly accelerated up to a speed much too fast for a parking lot, or even a highway. Red lights blinked on the dashboard that signaled they had driven over a curb, but Krystal paid them no heed.

"Now which way!" Krystal shouted once they were back onto pavement again.

"Follow the road right, but for god's sake, slow the heck down!" Phoenix was yelling only because he was trying to get his mind off the pain of his wounded leg.

Sirens began to blare, and one quick glance at the rear-view screen confirmed the presence of police craft.

"Dammit, well, looks like slowing down isn't an option!"

Phoenix glanced at Krystal, but her expression was not one of disappointment. Once again, the vixen floored the pedal, and the hover-car accelerated to a gut-wrenching speed. Phoenix struggled to give her directions as they passed turn after turn in record time, faster than even a late-running student could achieve.

Soon they were well into the center of the campus, the streets of which were filled with students, faculty, and staff forced to run for their lives. The plus side was that the crowded streets served the police down even more, who had the burden of keeping civilians safe.

Catching a pet and its owner out of the corner of his eye, Phoenix joked, "Poodle! Fifty points!"

"Where! Where!" Krystal shouted, looking around desperately.

"I can't believe I said that," Phoenix moaned as he hid his face in his hands.

"Aha! On it!"

Krystal, spotting the poodle at the last second, was forced to make a sharp turn to hit it.

"Die, motherf-er!"

At the last second, the poodle's master dropped her leash and sprinted for cover, and the poodle managed to dive out of the way, escaping the front bumper of the car by inches.

Initially, Phoenix sighed in relief, but Krystal crazily spun the wheel of the car and pulled a 180 turn in the middle of the street.

"What are you doing! You can't turn around! The police are catching up to you!"

"That little runt isn't escaping _this _time!"

Heading back down the street again, Krystal drove into the middle of the group of police cars in pursuit of them. What followed next was a confused whirlwind caused by Krystal attempting to run over the hapless poodle, and the police trying desperately to surround or ram her hover-car. Finally, Krystal shouted, "Heck, yeah!" as they finally felt the telltale jolt run through the car, confirming their kill. Phoenix resisted the urge to look back as Krystal sped the car back up and made a break for the main road again.

Phoenix slowly removed his hands from his face in realization. "Wait a minute... that didn't make any sense."

"What, why animals would have pets?"

"No; why someone would lead a miniature version of themselves around on a leach. It's like... like if a pig sold hotdogs, or... something."

"Well, what else would animals have as pets?" Krystal argued back, not following him completely.

"I don't know. Bugs, maybe."

Krystal snorted. "I can't imagine many people taking their spiders or cockroaches out for a walk. You can't just replace animals' old functions with bugs. It doesn't work. Would we eat bugs, too?"

Phoenix grimaced as he clutched his leg. "Still, having a mini, stupider version of yourself as a pet is irrational."

Krystal shrugged. "I dunno. I guess you just have intelligent animals on one hand, and dumb animals on the other. It's like Narnia."

Phoenix gave her a funny, confused look.

"What the hell is Narnia?"

"Grrr, you wanna shut up and let me drive, lion-heart?"

At that moment, their hover-car left the crowded campus buildings and entered the university's park, which offered the police a straight shot at them. On cue, a series of laser blasts shattered the hover-car's rear window, spraying glass everywhere.

"Never mind, you drive."

"What?" Phoenix asked, pulse beginning to race.

"This is turning into a gunfight, and I don't wanna be stuck with a wheel instead of a weapon in my hands. On three, we switch. One, two, three!"

"Wait!"

"I said, _switch_!"

Krystal grabbed his shoulder and jerked him into the driver's seat as she awkwardly climbed over him.

"Ow! Geeze, watch the leg!"

"Eye on the road, and whatever happens, don't look back!"

Rolling down her window, Krystal grabbed one of her silver pistols, sat in the open window, and leaned out over the road. Phoenix couldn't help glancing sideways at her as she aimed down her sights and fired off shot after shot. Two police cars went down, but the rest pulled over to the left lane, where Krystal couldn't properly shoot at them.

Climbing back inside, she ordered, "Quick, roll your window down."

"I can't shoot out of it!"

"I'll be doing the shooting, freakin' idiot! Now roll it down!"

Jumping at her command, Phoenix rolled down his window and was surprised as Krystal leaned over him to fire out the window. Phoenix was forced to bend and lean in a multitude of directions to see past her and keep track of the road.

"Ha haa!" the gunman exclaimed triumphantly, "Took down another of the pigs!"

"Y-you're insane!" Phoenix's voice cracked.

"I don't remember when the last time was that I had so much fun!" she exclaimed, sitting back down in her seat and firing out her own window. "Well... not since last mission, at least."

"What are you? An assassin? A pirate?"

"Bounty hunter," Krystal corrected as she loaded another clip into her gun.

"So, this is normal for you?"

"Well... I normally have to shoot _and_ drive."

Phoenix looked away from her and shook his head. "You're insane," he mumbled again.

Craning her neck, Krystal searched the fields of unmanicured grass that now bordered the road on either side. "I see my arwing; it's in the field on the left. Falco already grabbed his arwing."

"How'd he beat you?" Phoenix asked as he reluctantly veered the car off the street and into the tall, yellowed grass. A voice in the back of his head, the overly cautious one, kept nagging at him that he shouldn't tease a caged tiger.

"Because," Krystal growled, "He didn't have a lame-ass excuse for a hostage slowing him down the whole time!"

"Then why'd you bring me along, huh?"

"I needed you to show me how to get to the goddamn field!"

"That means _he_ didn't need any directions."

"Freakin' men and their directions!" Krystal exclaimed as she viciously kicked Phoenix in his wounded leg, which caused him to cry out and lose control of the car for a second. "Stop here!"

Phoenix slammed the brakes, causing the hover-car to come to a jolting stop just inside a small clearing. On the opposite side rested a large, white-and-blue fighter that seemed somehow... familiar, to Phoenix.

"An arwing, huh?" he asked as he eyed the ship.

"Yeah, one of the most maneuverable fighters ever made." Krystal fixed her gaze on Phoenix for a few seconds, then stared at the dashboard. "Look, uh, lion-heart... it was fun while it lasted. Of all the people I've shot in the leg, you're the one I'll remember the most."

"Wait, what?"

"It's time for me to make my escape now. Sorry, but you can't come any further." Krystal opened the door to the hover-car and slipped out, then shut it and leaned in through the window. "But you can keep the car. Compliments of me."

"I'll... get arrested if I keep it."

"Whatever. See-ya."

Skirting around the front of the car, Krystal hurried over to her arwing's side. But the present danger hadn't passed just yet. Careening out of the underbrush, a police hover-car stopped behind the one Krystal had borrowed, and two officers leaned out and began unloading laser fire into the side of the car.

Phoenix was forced to duck down below the car's windows. _Why are they shooting at me? _he thought to himself, _I'm just a civilian! This is ridiculous! _

Slowly raising his hands, he peeked out the window and called, "Hey, don't shoot! I'm not the one you – " but he was immediately silenced by another rain of laser fire. Glancing out his window, he saw that Krystal had noticed his predicament and was looking his way.

_Alright. A bit more time with her won't kill me. _Opening his door and crawling out, Phoenix proceeded to hobble as fast as he could towards Krystal's fighter. When he got to its side, Krystal was waiting for him.

"What's a matter? Your local mall-cops getting a bit overzealous with their job?"

"Please, It's your turn to help me now! I'm in a jam!"

"I thought you'd never ask. Come on, let's climb aboard."

With that, Krystal nimbly leapt up the side of her arwing, but was forced to turn around and give Phoenix a hand up. When they were both finally standing next to the cockpit, Krystal popped the windshield open to reveal the interior. There was only one seat.

They both shot each other glances.

"Aw, hell no."

"Look," Phoenix tried to reason, "I could squeeze in back somehow, or maybe I could sit, well – "

"You're riding outside."

"Out... outside?" Phoenix asked, voice rising in pitch. "Is that p-possible?"

"Yeah, it's been done. You won't do nothing fancy, like standing on the nose and taking out enemy ships, or anything."

"You've done that?"

"Yeah. Now shut up and grab onto that fin. I'll go easy on you, so don't worry about falling off." As Phoenix crawled his way towards the blue fin on the arwing's right side, Krystal hopped into the cockpit and started lowering the windshield. "Oh, and one more thing," she said with a wicked grin. "Don't look down."

"Right..."

Once they were situated, Krystal started up the engines and slowly lifted off amongst the small, intermittent rain of laser fire. As the arwing began to pick up speed and angle skywards, Phoenix tightened his hold and screamed into the deafening wind, "Oh, god! Oh, god! Oooooh, god!"

_I might never see the ground again, _he thought, _but then again, if I fall off, I might see it too soon._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Kinda short, but I wanted to get something out in the short break from school I have. ****I'll see how quick I can start on the next chapter, but I've got another story I need to finish.**


	3. The Summoning Part 3: The Invitation

**Ch. 3: The Summoning**

**Part 3: The Invitation**

* * *

><p>It wasn't a moment too soon that Krystal landed her arwing in her hulking carrier ship. Finally opening his eyes and loosening his grip on the arwing's fin, Phoenix slid down its side and fell to the floor like a rag doll. He was soaked to the bone from passing through cloud after cloud, his leg was still the source of shooting pains, and his hands and arms were numb from clutching onto the arwing so tightly.<p>

After opening her cockpit, Krystal jumped to the ground and landing by Phoenix's side as nimbly as a cat. "Well, ya like her?"

"Like what?" Phoenix moaned as he lay flat on his back. "This ship?"

"Impressive, isn't it? It's called the _Great Fox._" Finally looking down at Phoenix's spread form, she added. "Hey, get up! We gotta get you patched up right quick. Bullets, unlike lasers, could get you an infection."

Struggling to his feet, Phoenix noticed a burn mark on Krystal's face. Gesturing to it, he said, "When did you get that?"

Krystal spat onto the ground. "Eh, cop hit me before we took off. Just nicked me, really."

"Looks pretty nasty, actually," Phoenix said as he pulled his sleeve over his hand and raised it to her face.

Grabbing his wrist, Krystal growled, "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's blistering. I'm cleaning it for you."

"Aw, how sweet of you. But you've got a bullet in you're leg, and a little burn can't compare to that. The lack of oxygen you just experienced is getting to your head."

"No... it's just..."

"Just what?"

Phoenix shrugged. "Chivalry."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well a bullet hole trumps a small burn any day. Come on, drag your sorry ass to the bridge and I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. It gets pretty boring seeing the same faces every day."

* * *

><p>Stopping at the doorway to the ship's bridge, Krystal jammed her fist into a button, and the two pieces of metal slid open. Booting him forwards, Krystal announced, "Alright, losers, here's our guest!"<p>

A blue falcon wearing a white flight jacket looked up from the controls to Phoenix. Red rings circled sapphire-colored eyes that scanned Phoenix with the discernment of a hawk and the deadliness of a serpent.

"You never mentioned he was a fox," the avian said in an icy voice.

"What's it matter to you, Falco?" Krystal challenged him.

"Don't pay any attention to him," a voice came from behind Phoenix.

Turning around, he saw that an amphibian dressed in a grease-covered jumpsuit was leaning against the doorway, wiping off his hands with a cloth. As soon as Phoenix turned around and looked at the frog, the mechanic whispered, "Holy s-t," and nearly dropped his wrench. "He looks just like – "

But Krystal didn't let him finish. Grabbing his wrench, she forced it into his mouth and growled, "What is it, Slip? You got somethin' you wanna say?"

The falcon continued to fix his cold gaze on Phoenix. "I know what you're doing, Krystal, and I don't like it."

Turning back, Krystal defended herself, "What was I supposed to do? He offered himself as a hostage and lead me to where my ship was! I had to take him with me, or the freakin' police would have shot him as well! And you guys hit it off so well over the radio!"

"I killed his chemistry teacher."

"Yeah, so?"

Falco crossed his arms and shook his head. "He's not staying. We drop him off back on Corneria the first chance we get." And with that, he stormed out the door, brushing past both Krystal and "Slip."

Krystal huffed. "Who does that prick think he is?"

Removing the wrench from his mouth, the frog said, "Hey, uh, sorry our first meeting went like this. Let's try again." Holding out his hand, the amphibian said, "Name's Slippy."

"Phoenix," the hostage said as he shook his hand.

Slippy's eyes fell to the stream of blood that had dried on Phoenix's pants. He grimaced. "Don't worry, I'll have you patched up in no time, and we'll have you back at home before dinner." Hies eyes suddenly narrowed, suspiciously. "Wait, you were hit with a bullet?" He glared at Krystal. "_You _shot him?!"

"He asked me to!"

"Nobody _asks _you to shoot them!"

Krystal shrugged while Phoenix answered, "Uh, actually, I did."

"Well... you can tell me everything as I'm patching you up. Come on, I'll help you to sickbay."

* * *

><p>Relying on Slippy for support, which proved to be a difficult task because of their height difference, the two entered the infirmary. The room was painted pure white and stocked with various medical equipment, most of which Phoenix hoped the amphibian wouldn't have to use. As Slippy helped him down into one of the three operating tables, Phoenix said with a weak voice, "Uh, sorry to ask this, but are you qualified as a doctor?"<p>

Slippy turned around to a pile of tools and began riffling through it. "Come to think of it... no, not really, though at least I'm a mechanic. There can't be that much of a difference between fixing up ships and fixing up people, right? They're both basically machines. Here, hold still."

Turning around suddenly, the mechanic hefted a chainsaw in the air and revved it up, causing the spinning links of chain to emit a deafening whirring noise.

Phoenix nearly fell off the table, yelling in fear.

The amphibian shut off the saw and lowered it to the floor, laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. No, I am not a qualified doctor, but I've picked up enough to know how to remove a bullet. You'll be fine."

Gasping for breath, Phoenix settled back down on the operating table. "Oh... oh god... don't scare me like that."

"I never work without some sort of anesthesia, anyway."

Drawing a laser gun out of the pile of tools, he flipped the dial to "stun" and propmtly shot Phoenix in the leg. He grimaced, straightening up for a second and clutching his leg, but then realized it had gone completely numb.

"Hey... that kinda works, actually."

"Do you get faint at the sight of blood?" Slippy asked.

The image of the police officer spraying blood flashed before Phoenix's eyes. "Um... yeah, I guess so."

"I don't blame you. I use to get queasy at the sight of it, but eventually I developed a tolerance. But... it would be better if you didn't watch."

"Can you tell me what you're going to do beforehand?"

"Sure. I'll clean up the wound a bit, make the blood clot so you bleed as little as possible, dig around for the bullet, then fill in the hole with cell stimulants and nanobots to help. It actually heals pretty fast."

"Alright. You can start now, if you want."

As Slippy set to work rolling up his pants leg, Phoenix lay his head back and stared into the bright, overhead lights.

"Hey, can I ask a question?"

"Sure. Don't worry about distracting me."

"What was that all about? I mean, what happened in the bridge?"

Slippy fell quiet as he continued to work on Phoenix's leg. "I can't say."

"Why? Afraid to get another wrench shoved into your mouth?"

"No, I just can't violate a friendship, it wouldn't feel right. Some crap went down a few years ago, and I owe it to Krystal not to share any of her past. We've learned to move one, the three of us."

"Oh... sorry for prying."

Another awkward silence descended upon the room, during which Phoenix heard the plink of a bullet as it dropped onto a metal plate.

"You know... I feel like I've heard of you guys before. But it's only an old legend."

"Do tell."

"I... I'm not positive, but you guys remind me of Star Fox."

Slippy smiled. "Well, you figured that out pretty quickly."

"I recognized you, Falco, and Krystal from all the stories I heard back on Corneria. Some of them claimed you were the ones who defeated Andross during the Lylat Wars. But that can't be true, can it? General Pepper was the one who spear-headed the assault on Venom and finally executed Andross, wasn't he?"

"Don't believe all the stories the government tells you."

"Wait, you mean you all really did take out Andross?"

Slippy glanced at the door nervously. "Well, I guess it won't hurt to tell you any of this. It's not the whole truth, but it's some of it. We were the ones who defeated Andross in the end. Our team, the Hunting Party, use to go by another name, back when we were mercenaries. Yes, we used to be Star Fox. But then, well... we got trusted with some pretty secret government information, information we didn't like. After that, we had a falling out with the government, and they did their best to have the heroes of Lylat erased from history. They did a pretty good job, too."

"So, your team was named Star Fox after Krystal, right?"

Slippy snorted a bit, wheezing with laughter.

"What? Did I say something stupid?"

"No, no!" Slippy assured him as he continued to shake with laughter. "Sorry, it's just funny how your mind works. Yeah, the team was named after Krystal. Tell the guys back on Corneria that."

When Phoenix heard the tearing of gauze, he looked down the length of the operating table to find that Slippy was nearly done with his leg. In only a few more seconds, the amphibian had him neatly wrapped up in bandages.

"Well, that was fast," Phoenix said as he sat up and swung his legs off the operating table.

"No, wait!" Slippy cried, but Phoenix had already tried to stand. Forgetting that his leg was still numb, Phoenix collapsed to the floor once again.

"Ugh... geez."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Phoenix and Slippy entered the bridge of the <em>Great Fox <em>to find Krystal and Falco seated at opposite ends of the room.

Noticing them step into the bridge, Falco stood up. "Look, we have to decide what to do with him. I, for one, say we should fly back to Corneria, hand him a parachute, and push him off the ship as fast as we can. I don't want to involve him anymore than we have to. He's a civilian, nothing more."

"I'm sorry to say this, Phoenix," Slippy added, "But I agree with Falco. You don't want to see anymore of what we do for a living. We aren't the heroes we were before. It would break you're heart, I guess."

Krystal, however, remained silent. She sat with her combat boots propped up on the control panel and an apathetic expression on her face. One of her guns lay in pieces before her, strewn across a white cloth, in the process of being cleaned.

She was sitting in top of the main computer.

"Krystal, you gonna turn this ship around?" Falco asked.

The bounty huntress remained silent as she peered through the barrel piece, swabbing it out with a pipe-cleaner.

"Krystal..." the avian growled.

"I think the least we can do for the poor kid is show him a good time at the bar, don't you think?"

"We're not taking him to the Yellow Jack, if that's what you mean." Falco began to stride towards Krystal, rolling up his sleeves as he did so. "Now, are you gonna move, or not?"

But before he could reach her, Krystal's hands flew across the pieces of her gun, snapped them back into place faster than Phoenix's eyes could follow, and coolly pointed it at Falco. "Come on, I owe him a favor. He got me out of a tight spot, but how do I repay him? I shoot him in the leg and scare him half to death! Besides, it's where we're supposed to meet up with our last employer. Now, waddya say, bird-brain?"

Falco crossed his arms and turned away from Krystal, angrily marching in the opposite direction. "Fine, have it your way. But only a few hours at the bar, and then it's straight back to Corneria, got it?"

"That's more like it!" Krystal sighed out of satisfaction. "Course is all set!"

"You were expecting all of this, weren't you?" Slippy mumbled as he watched Falco stomp out the door.

"Er, yeah. Got a problem with that?"

* * *

><p>Phoenix soon learned that the 'Yellow Jack Bar' was hidden on the outskirts of the Meteo asteroid field. Of course he knew all of the rumors that floated around alongside the chunks of ice and rock; Meteo was said to be the home of countless criminals and government enemies of all kinds, whether it be common thieves, pirates, bounty hunters, or even remnants of Andross's forces that remained in hiding since the Lylat Wars. The outer rim of the field was home to shady repair shops, weapon and vehicle suppliers, and bars that couldn't care less about who their customers were. Deeper into the field could be found the Sargasso Space Zone, which hid vast assortments of criminals, assassins, or mercenaries down on their luck from the eyes of the law. The cesspool of a haven was virtually untouched by the Cornerian government; it was too difficult to safely maneuver a fleet large into the field on account of the millions of debris floating lazily in orbit. Any attempt by a large force would end up dashed against the sides of the asteroids. It had taken the brilliant mind of Andross to lead a fleet capable of an invasion through Meteo. However, his attention was directed towards Corneria, so the criminal underworld merely scattered to other regions of the asteroid field, and gathered together once he left.<p>

It was not long after they entered the belt that Phoenix spotted the bar; it was built into the side of a sizable asteroid, complete with an air-dome and docking bay. As they entered the hangar, Phoenix couldn't help but gaze wide-eyed at the assortment of banged-up and ancient looking fighters and transport ships that lined the inside of the bay; most of them were covered in blackened trails from laser hits, dusted with sand and grit from excursions on desert planets, or scratched up from centuries of wear. A good number of the ships also had nick-names, logos, or signature phrases painted on their sides.

Jumping down off the control panel, Krystal walked past Phoenix and grabbed him by the ear. "Quit gawking," she groaned, "Everyone will think you've never been outside a church before. Don't ruin our image, will ya?"

"Ow! The ear, the ear!" Phoenix cried frantically as he was forced to follow Krystal outside the bridge, head first.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Falco, look at this!" Krystal joked.<p>

As Phoenix held the door to the barroom open for her, she strode triumphantly through and spread her arms wide in mock-amazement. "This 'chivalry' thing even opens doors for you! It's like magic!"

"I don't see what's so great about it," Falco mumbled as he stepped in after her.

"You could learn a thing or two from it, ya know?" Krystal said as she slapped him a little too hard on the back. "Maybe for the next time we run into Katt."

After he let Slippy through, Phoenix let the door swing shut behind him and looked around the bar. It truly was the most horrendous, sickeningly filthy sight he had ever laid eyes upon, a sight he believed was virtually non-existent in the Lylat System anymore, a sight he had only seen in old westerns and crime shows that hearkened back to a dying era. The Yellow Jack bore all the hallmarks of a classic shoot-em-up barroom; a pool table took up the center of the room, occupied by a gang of gnarly-looking mutts from the four corners of Lylat who no one in their right mind would ever entrust a cue-stick to, much less a gun or a spaceship. The game was surrounded by a number of circular tables, most of which hosted some sort of gambling event; cards flew, dice spun, and poker chips plinked against each other. The walls of the bar were lined with shaded booths lit with dim lights, the majority of which were occupied by employers, assassins, or lovers looking for a more private place to sit. The bar counter itself was placed along the wall closest to the doorway. Behind it was a massive shelf filled with more forms of alcohol than Phoenix thought existed. So dazzling was the assortment that it threw specks of colored light around the entire room, as if it was some profane stained-glass window.

Krystal immediately ambled over to the bar while Falco sought out a quiet corner to light a smoke in, and Slippy searched the booths to find their employer. Finally catching sight of their hirer, he strode off to meet him, but then noticed that Phoenix was awkwardly following behind. Turning around, he said something that Phoenix couldn't hear over the sound of the noisy barroom, so he had Phoenix lean down closer so he could shout in his ear.

"I'm going to collect the bounty from our employer, but you shouldn't come. Nothing personal. It's just... bad for business. Hey, look, why don't you join Krystal at the bar?"

Phoenix cringed. "You sure that's a good idea?" he shouted over the noise of the room.

"Sure, she won't mind. Just... if she drinks too much, I wouldn't hang around."

"Don't hang around?"

"As in, _run. _Just keep track of how many glasses she takes, and you'll be fine."

The amphibian patted him on the shoulder, then walked away towards their employer's booth carrying the briefcase Falco had attained from Phoenix's now deceased chemistry teacher.

Turning around to face the bar, Phoenix gulped, took a deep breath, exhaled, and set out nervously to join Krystal. Slipping into the cushioned stool next to her, he asked, "Uh, mind if I sit here?"

"About time you did," the blue-colored vixen muttered, already draining a glass. "You ever had beer before, kid? Or are you still under the drinking age?"

"Well, no, I'm only nineteen," Phoenix admitted, dejectedly. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "But I've tried some at home. I haven't really gotten used to the taste yet. I don't get why people like the stuff, actually."

Krystal chuckled, and the bartender slid her another glass of beer, which she promptly took a swig of. "That's how a lot of kids feel, lion-heart. The way I see it, it's sort of an acquired taste you have to develop. Granted, it's an easy one to acquire, but still, you can't just jump from your mama's milk to alcohol. No, you have to drink water, juice, soda, Tabasco sauce, and _then _beer. You get it, right? The drinks get more and more bitter." Pausing, she lifted her glass up and spilled it's contents down her throat, while Phoenix awkwardly watched. Then, trading her second glass for a third, she continued with her little spiel. "You have to get used to something progressively, like cooking a frog in a pot." After quickly glancing back at Slippy across the room, she amended her statement "Er, uh, lobster. The same goes for spicy foods sour candy. I'm sure there's some sort of science behind it." Krystal drowned herself out once again with her third glass while Phoenix watched, getting a bit nervous.

"Yeah, there is a scientific term for it. It's called alcoholism."

Finishing off the last drop, Krystal slammed her mug down on the table, causing Phoenix to jump in fear. Sliding her mug away, she gestured for yet another one. "Ha haa, and you've got a little thing called smart-assalism, don't you?"

Phoenix cursed himself inwardly for being too brave. To tell the truth, he was extremely nervous around killers, females, and killer females, but his mouth wouldn't shut up when the icy cold sinking feeling in his stomach told him to, and the fact that Krystal was already raising the forth glass to her lips wasn't exactly putting his fears to rest. Perhaps now was the time to run, before Krystal got too intoxicated and tried to murder him... or worse.

"Hey, look, uh... I think Slippy's nearly done with your employer... boss... dude, so I'm gonna see how he's doing. I can tell you want to be left – "

But before he could finish, Krystal's eyes narrowed at something over Phoenix's shoulder.

"Well look who we have here," she muttered.

Slowly turning around, Phoenix noticed a chameleon and a jet black panther standing in the doorway. The chameleon's cold, steely eyes flitted around the room, identifying potential threats to be wary of, while the panther's jumped from potential woman to victimize to potential woman to also victimize. Finally, their three gazes (the chameleon's eyes counted as two, as they never quite looked in the same direction) simultaneously landed on Krystal, who coincidentally met both of their requirements.

Rapidly turning back around, Phoenix lowered his head and whispered, "You know those guys?"

Krystal nodded. "Yeah, they're a part of Star Wolf. You've probably heard of them, the most famous bounty hunters in Sargasso. Not as good as us, mind you, but more famous. The lizard's Leon Powalski; he specializes in hit jobs. The cat's Panther. He specializes in pedophilia, and maybe a little piloting and marksmanship on the side."

"It's a specialty?" Phoenix mouthed in surprise.

Krystal hurriedly shushed him as the two bounty hunters came up behind them.

"Well, if it isn't the venomous vixen again," purred the black cat. "It could only be fate that has brought us together at such a lowly meeting place of villainy and scum."

"Screw off, puss-in-boots. Save the flattery for when you take your mom to prom night."

"Testy, as always," cackled the lizard. "Are you still angry about us beating you to that last bounty?"

"Hey! Don't go shooting your mouth off about that again! The Hunting Party has always beaten you in the past, and you know it!"

Panther's ears perked up. "Oh? What's this? Do I hear the fiery little fox wanting to prove her gender's superiority over that of the male race?"

"I could beat you freaks any day! It's the rest of the team that always slows me down!"

"I think she wants a challenge," Panther continued with a smooth voice. "What shall it be this time, my loyal compatriot?"

"How about a little knife throwing?" Leon said, spreading out an assortment of knives like a deck of cards that must have been concealed up his sleeve.

"Sure, why not?" Krystal said, hopping down from her bar stool. By now, the groups surrounding the tables closest to the bar had turned their attention to the three bounty hunters, expecting an entertaining show.

"First, the rules," Leon began. "Each of us will throw five knives at another person on our team; if they land more than an inch away, the other team wins. If you hit your teammate... well, they might die. Maybe."

"Next, we need a bet, something to rrrraise the stakes." Panther said, rolling his r's extravagantly.

"Like what?" Krystal growled, suspicious.

"Well, if I win," Panther whispered as he leaned in closer to Krystal, who defensively blew a breath full of bear into his face, "I get to spend a romantic night with – "

"No."

"A romantic evening with – "

"No."

"A romantic dinner with – "

"No."

Leon rolled his eyes, which actually was what they normally did. "Look, it's no fun if you don't risk anything besides your honor. Now, what will it be?"

Krystal crossed her arms and sulked for a minute, before replying, "Fine. The loser has to have a romantic dinner with Panther. That means, if I win..."

"I'll have to go out with Panther, is that it?"

"Yes."

"You wouldn't dare!" Panther hissed.

"If you want that evening with Krystal, you better agree to it."

"Alright. Fine. It's a deal."

"Oh, and I'll be representing Star Wolf in this little game of ours."

"What!" Panther cried. "Why would I entrust this to you?!"

"Because I'm the best at knife-throwing, you idiot. Don't you trust me not to hit you?"

"Alright, bueno. Then I guess you'll be using that repulsive frog on your team, Krystal?"

"Actually," the vixen said, turning to Phoenix, who was trying his best to go unnoticed, "I'll be throwing knives at this kid."

"Ah! So you finally got a fourth member on your team again! Though I doubt he'll ever rep – "

"No, he's not really part of the team. Just a little hostage I picked up on our latest mission. He's growing on me, enough to not want him hurt, if that's what you're worried about."

Leon spun Phoenix's bar stool around so that he was forced to stare into the chameleon's face. "Hm... he'll do. Come on, Panther, random fox kid; up against the wall."

The bar patrons closest to the indicated wall grabbed their tables and scooted their chairs out of the way, making a long, clear aisle for Krystal and Leon to throw their knives down.

_This is insane, _was all Phoenix could think as Krystal dragged him over and placed him against the wall.

"Straighten up," she whispered in his ear, breath warm from the amount of alcohol she had consumed. "Stay perfectly still, and there'll be a 99% chance I won't hit you."

Gulping, Phoenix stood ram-rod straight against the wall like a mummy going to die a second time. He couldn't believe it. _An intoxicated female bounty hunter is going to throw knives at me. Knives. At me._

_S—t!_

* * *

><p>THUNK! The fourth knife landed mere centimeters from Phoenix's muzzle, and he swore it took a few whiskers with it. Exhaling deeply, he reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow. <em>Only one more. <em>The little game they were playing was beginning to get on his nerves. He was beginning to feel so sick from anxiety that he thought he might throw up before it ended. But it was for Krystal now. He couldn't imagine her going on a date with someone, anyway.

It was Leon's turn to throw. The chameleon held the knife by the blade as delicately as if he were holding a feather. Drawing the knife back, he quickly snapped his arm forwards, sending the knife spinning through the air until it lodged into the wall, a hair-breadth away from Panther's neck. The black cat didn't even flinch or bat an eye; he just grinned, devilishly.

"Last round, Krystal," Panther shouted across the room. "Why don't you give in already? Deep down inside, you know you really want – "

But Krystal, with lightning-quick speed, grabbed her last knife and flung it as hard as she could at Phoenix, who let out a cry of surprise as it sank into the wall, close enough so that it brushed against his shoulder.

All eyes in the bar were on Leon now. Spreading out his legs and clasping the knife between his hands as if he were imitating a karate pose, the chameleon slowly exhaled all of his breath and closed his eyes, seeking absolute peace. When the bar fell completely silent, Leon opened his eyes again, crossed them in a crazy manner, and uttered a guttural, undulating cry. Breaking his stance, he propelled himself in the air, spun around three times like a cyclone before he landed, and swung the knife in a wide arc at Panther.

The knife plunged into the feline's right shoulder, immediately drawing blood and eliciting a loud cry of pain. Leaving his position in front of the wall, he hopped around the room cursing bitterly in Spanish. Finally breaking from his fit he shouted in English, "DAMN YOU, LEON! YOU HIT ME ON PURPOSE, DIDN'T YOU! _DIDN'T YOU_!"

"It was the only reason I agreed to the challenge," the lizard admitted, collecting the knives he had lent Krystal. "It's not often I have an excuse to stick you with knives."

"But now our honor is ruined forever! We have to go on a date! A _date_! How will we ever face Wolf after this!"

"Maybe we'll invite him and another woman and make it a double. Look, whatever the price, it was worth sticking a knife into you. You will never know how long I've waited to do that."

As the bar's patrons split up into their usual groups again, Phoenix felt his stomach broiling up inside of him, a mix of fiery hot acid and icy cold chills. The stress of the competition had been too much for him. Running to the men's room, he flung the door open and rushed over to the sink as rapidly as possible. Bending over the filthy porcelain basin, he began to throw up what little he had had for lunch that day.

* * *

><p><em>Well, at least it's over, <em>he thought to himself as he watched the contents of his stomach poor down the drain.

The door opened behind him, and he heard footsteps slowly approach the sink next to his. Continuing to vomit, Phoenix didn't bother looking up, instead assuming it was either Falco, Slippy, or some other frequenter of the bar.

Once his stomach subsided, he turned on the sink and rinsed his mouth out with water until the acidic taste of his stomach fluids was nearly gone. Looking in the mirror, he met the blank stare of a heavy-set panda who stood behind his shoulder.

Still gasping for breath, Phoenix splashed his face with some water.

"That was a pretty brave act you did there, son," the panda said in a hoarse voice.

"Brave," Phoenix scoffed, wiping his face off with his hands, "One fear was just greater than the other, and that's all there was to it."

Phoenix turned to exit the bathroom, but he suddenly found the panda blocking his path.

"I'm scarred too, you know," the panda added. "Scarred of blood, scarred of pain... but there must be a way to face my fears." The bear's voice was shaking now, and his beady black eyes glowed with a violent light, a light of desperation. By the way he smelled and looked, Phoenix guessed he hadn't showered or slept in weeks.

"Look, sir, I would appreciate it if you would – "

"I have been facing my fears," the panda continued, unabated. Reaching into his coat pockets, he slowly pulled out a revolver and a sharpened blade, holding one in each hand. "The only way to conquer you fear is to expose yourself to more of it, to force yourself to live with it."

Phoenix didn't know how to react. His eyes widened and he backed up against the sink, but the psychotic bear followed him, lowering his gun to Phoenix's chest.

"For example, if you're afraid of heights, what do you do?" the panda asked, raising his knife to Phoenix's neck.

Phoenix was leaning backwards over the sink as far as he could, eyes wide as he stared into his assailant's face.

When the fox gave him no answer, the psycho continued. "He goes to lots of high places, right?" The panda's voice became ragged and interrupted by heavy breathing that made Phoenix's fur stand on end. "And if you're afraid of the dark, you sleep with the night light off. If you're claustrophobic, you ride a lot of elevators and buy little smart cars. So, if you're scarred of blood..." He trailed off, gently sliding his knife across Phoenix's exposed neck, catching the reflection of the overhead lights on the surface of the blade.

"You know... I've had this fear for a long time. I couldn't stomach even the slightest hint of red. But I couldn't take the fear any longer, so I decided to face it." His assailant's ramblings began to increase in speed as he became more exited. "I started out slow, just cutting myself a little here and there. Then I began killing house pets and wild animals; I even stole into morgues at night. Then, I began to prepare my meat myself, or even just eat it raw." Using the sharp blade now, he slowly slid it across Phoenix's skin, drawing a slight trickle of blood. "Eventually, I killed my first person. A poor delivery boy who stopped by my house... I don't think anyone missed him." Then, leaning in closer, he whispered in Phoenix's ear, "He was delicious..."

Unable to control himself any longer, Phoenix brought his knee up into the panda's gut and swatted the gun out of his hand, but not before he had reflexively discharged a shot. The psycho stumbled backwards, desperately sucking in air while Phoenix dove towards the gun. It had slid across the teal green restroom tiles to come to rest against the far wall. Grabbing the gun and sitting on the floor, Phoenix spun around to face the assailant, staring down the barrel at the panda's crazed face. The gun was shaking in his hands, a fact that did not escape his attacker. Slowly, but confidently, the panda approached him again, knife dangling restlessly at his side.

"S-stop!" Phoenix ordered with a trembling voice, "Or I'll shoot!"

The panda merely laughed at the threat and continued towards Phoenix, forcing the vulpine to scoot back into one of the stalls to maintain the distance between them. When his back pressed up against the toilet, he added, "Don't come any closer! I mean it!"

The panda paused in front of the door, looming over him and casting an even darker shadow into the bathroom stall. "We know you can't do that... then you'd become more like me. No one wants to be like me... why is that?"

Raising the knife again, he slowly leaned in over Phoenix, his tall form towering over him. "If you're lucky, I'll feed you a rib or two before you lose consciousness..."

Involuntarily, Phoenix let his tired arms drop to the floor, the gun clattering across the filthy tiles. He couldn't bring himself to shoot the animal, he couldn't kill no matter what, not even to save himself.

The panda's smiling head was inches from his own when the gunshot rang out.

A geyser of red blood sprayed into the air behind the bear's head, and his enormous body slumped forwards over Phoenix. His face landed on the rim of the toilet bowl, revealing the small, red hole at the back of his head, and causing Phoenix to scream from a mix of surprise and horror. He looked up to find Krystal sitting on the sink counter-top, her leg swinging back and forth like a Katt's tail, and her gun trailing smoke.

"Krystal!" Phoenix exclaimed, his voice cracking. He did his best to crawl out from underneath the panda's limp form, scooting as far away as he could in the limited stall space.

"Bastard had it coming," Krystal said as she slipped off the counter top. Joining him in the stall, she set her boot against the back of the panda's head, forced it into the filthy bowl, and flushed the toilet. Looking up at her, Phoenix read an expression of hatred and disgust in her face, as if she were killing Andross herself. Once the toilet quieted down and began to refill with water, she turned her attention to Phoenix.

"Why didn't you shoot?" She growled, sliding her weapon back into its holster. "You had a gun right there in your hands, yet you didn't shoot!"

Phoenix cowered even further into the stall as possible under Krystal's fierce gaze. "I... I just couldn't do it! When I think of that police officer you killed, and the blood, and the look in his dying eyes, I... I – "

"Look, Phoenix," Krystal said, spitting into the toilet seat, "In this world, it's either kill or be killed, and if you won't...then someone elsewill have to. You had every legal, instinctive reason to shoot him, and you just let him come at you! Why didn't you just pull the trigger!"

"It's not that easy!" Phoenix defended himself. "I've never had to shoot someone before! Much less hold a gun in my hands! When was the first time you killed someone, huh? How old were you? Nineteen? Barely out of high school?"

Krystal's mouth remained closed, and the fiery glow in her eyes seemed to subside. Sighing, she leaned back against the opposite wall of the stall and slid down to the floor across from Phoenix, the panda's limp body awkwardly between them. She stared at the ground for a few seconds in silence, then took a cigarette from her pocket, placed it between her lips, and lit it with a lighter. Taking a single puff, she took it out and held it towards Phoenix.

"Come on, take it." All of the anger had suddenly gone out of her voice, replaced by a mellow sort of depression. Perhaps it was just the whimsy of the alcohol, or perhaps it was just Krystal's character, but the change in attitude seemed rather sudden to Phoenix.

"Please, don't tell me you've never smoked before..."

"No, I've smoked a few cigars, at least whenever I can get my hands on one." He accepted the cigarette, and took a small draw from it. After a few seconds, he began to feel the calming affects of the drug, and his heart rate and stomach began to subside.

"Look, I'm... I'm sorry about this," Krystal said, gesturing to the panda's body that lay with its head still in the toilet. "You shouldn't have had to see it. You and the rest of the privileged back on Corneria think that bounty hunting's all fun and games. It's like a western, or some cheesy action comedy flick to you guys. But it's not. You were bound to see something like this sooner or later. Too bad it had to be sooner."

Phoenix remained silent, not meeting Krystal's eyes.

"At the same time, though, it's not as screwed up as the crap you just saw. I really enjoy it. The guns, the exhilaration, the thrill, the guns, the last minute plans and ditch efforts, the guns... even just flying for thousands of miles out in the middle of nowhere is worth it. You never have to worry about the law, paying taxes, or worrying about saving face at school or work. You can do whatever the hell you want to, and no one will bat an eye."

Accepting her cigarette back from Phoenix, she drew a breath and continued. "They say – back when Corneria was just a country – that it was founded upon the concept of freedom. Pure freedom. Yeah, you had the right to protect your home and yourself from the government, the right to say anything you want, and the right to believe anything you want. But out here, out in the open space, that's where you can find real freedom, not the type that the government sells you. You can truly go it alone and have it the way _you_ want."

"Well... I wouldn't really mind that," Phoenix whispered. "I do feel like I'm trapped in a box at school, like my whole life is planned out for me, basically. A life out here would be tempting, to say the least."

"My point is... I wanted you to enjoy your time with us, out here without any laws. But you had to go through this. I... I want to make it up to you."

Phoenix's ears perked up out of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Let's make a deal. You come along with the Hunting Party on our next mission, and see what we do for a living. If you like it, maybe you could stay on the team for a little while. If you don't, we'll just let you off at Corneria and forget that we ever met."

"So... you're actually inviting me to join the team? Why?"

Krystal shrugged. "I hate seeing a kid like you disillusioned so quickly. So, what do you say, are you in?"

Phoenix slowly let out his breath. Was this really happening? He was sitting in a filthy, bathroom stall in a bar for bounty hunters in an asteroid field, thousands of miles away from Corneria, with a blue-furred killer vixen and the dead body of a cannibalistic panda bear lying between them with a bullet hole in the back of his head and his face submerged in a toilet.

"Hell yeah. I'm in."


End file.
